Spring Feasts

And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.” Leviticus 23:1-2

The Spring Feasts consist of four festivals: Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of Firstfruits and Pentecost (The Feast of Weeks). These feasts are extremely important because they teach us to honor God for who He is and for what He has done for us. In addition, they teach us about God’s plan for humankind and how He powerfully intervenes in human affairs! Revelation 21:3 says “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God, Himself will be with them and be their God.”

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14-20 and Leviticus 23:5-8 explains the origin and purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins the day after Passover and continues for seven days (sundown, April 23 – sundown, April 30). The observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a symbol of our commitment to turn toward righteousness and turn away from sin. During this weeklong feast, nothing with leaven in it may be eaten. Abstaining from leavened bread for seven days is symbolic of God’s people separating themselves from sin and turning towards a holy relationship with the Lord. The Lord requires us to clean our homes of any food products that contain leaven, yeast, baking powder, baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate. Foods with leaven include breads, cereals, cakes, pies, crackers, and soups. Read the labels on all of your foods, especially in the pantry and freezer. A list of foods containing leaven is listed below. 

Things You Need to Know 

• The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins at sundown, April 23 and ends at sundown, April 30.
• During this month, begin to clear your home of food products containing leaven.
• The only bread to be eaten during this Feast is matzah or bread without yeast.
• All believers are to bring a sacrificial offering each day beginning sundown, April 23 through sundown, April 30.  You may bring your offering to The KBC dropbox, use the mobile app, give online, text: GIVE & your dollar amount to 713-322-7711 or mail to:

WVUMC
Attention: Claudia Stubblefield
6011 West Orem Drive
Houston, Texas 77085

• Please note:  These offerings are not your tithe.  They are separate and in addition to your tithe.

Preparing for the Feast of the Unleavened Bread 

The observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread offers us an intentional time to “spring clean” our lives. Explain to your friends and family that as we celebrate Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we ask God for the power to choose a life not dominated by sin and live in the freedom found in obedience to His Kingdom ways. 

LET’S GET THE LEAVEN OUT!  You may eat leavened products until sundown, Tuesday, April 23, 2023.  However, please begin to remove them from your home (by eating or discarding them), now through sundown, Tuesday, April 23.

On Tuesday, April 23, conduct a final inspection of your home for any leavened products.  Traditionally, the head of the household does this final inspection.  By sundown on the evening of April 23, all leavened products should absolutely be out of your home and not eaten for the next seven (7) days.  You may begin to purchase and consume them again after sundown on Tuesday, April 30.

What is Leaven?

Leaven is yeast or any “fermenting” substance used to make dough or other foods rise or sour. Some yeast derivatives are added to foods for flavor or nutritional purposes. The rules of leavening also apply to foods prepared from five types of grain: barley, wheat, rye, oats and spelt.

Removing food products that contain leaven (yeast, baking soda, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate, autolyzed yeast, & yeast extract) has its roots in ancient Passover preparation. Thirty days before the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, the women of every household began removing all leaven (known as “chametz” in Hebrew) from their homes. Removing leaven is a spiritual as well as a physical cleansing. Jesus spoke of leaven as a symbol of sin in the gospels (i.e., Luke 12:1), and the apostle Paul did likewise in I Corinthians 5:6-8.

Instructions for Removing Leavened Food Products

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses.For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut offfrom Israel. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be aholy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat–that only may be prepared by you. So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this sameday I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you shall observe this daythroughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of themonth at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. Forseven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that sameperson shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread. Exodus 12: 15-19(NKJV)

The Lord requires us to clean our homes of any food products that contain any kind of leaven: yeast,baking powder, baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, autolyzed yeast, or yeast extract. Also,traditionally most foods that contain wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt, except for matzah, are refrained from during Passover, as they are often processed in mills where leaven is present. Foods with leaven include most breads, cereals, cakes, pies, crackers, and soups. Read the labels on all of your foods, especially in the pantry and freezer. You may be surprised about the foods that contain leaven. It is easy to identify packaged foods that are usable during the Feast of Unleavened Bread by looking for product packages bearing one of these symbols: or “OU Kosher for Passover. 

Here is a suggested leavening removal guide. Try to eat these foods during this removal time period: 

• March 24 – March 30: All foods containing leaven or the 5 forbidden grains.

• March 31 – April 6: All canned goods containing leaven or the 5 forbidden grains.

• April 7 – April 13: All cereal products containing leaven or the 5 forbidden grains.

• April 14 – April 20: All bread crackers, and pastry products containing leaven or the 5 grains.

• April 21 – April 22: All seasonings, sauces and condiments containing leaven or the 5 forbidden grains.

• Sunday, April 23: All leavened products should be out of the home.

The general idea is to symbolize a purified life in Jesus by “eating clean” for the 7 days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This diet is also a healthier way to eat.

Here are some examples of items you should remove from your home.

The Feast of Firstfruits

The word Firstfruits means “a promise to come.” On the day of Firstfruits, Sunday, April 28, 2024, the Church Family will bring a special offering to the Lord.  This offering will represent the firstfruits of any financial income since the Feast of Tabernacles which was held (October 2023). In Leviticus 23:9-14, the first crops of the barley harvest were offered to God as an offering of thanksgiving for the promise of an abundant harvest. This offering, lifted up to the Lord, is called the early Firstfruits. In I Corinthians 15:23, Jesus is considered the firstfruit of the harvest of all who have died in him. This Feast was fulfilled when Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. For Christians, this feast is important because it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Things You Need to Know

• The Feast of Firstfruits begins at sundown, Saturday, April 27 and ends at sundown, Sunday, April 28.
• Prepare to offer to the Lord a Firstfruit offering on Sunday, April 28. You may bring your offering to The KBC dropbox, use the mobile app, give online, text: GIVE & your dollar amount to 713-322-7711 or mail.
• You determine the amount of this special offering, symbolizing your thanksgiving to God for providing the “early” spring harvest. The “latter” spring harvest will occur during Pentecost.
• The Firstfruit offering is not your tithe. It is separate and in addition to your tithe.

Preparing for the Feast of Firstfruits and Counting of the Omer

I. Feast of Firstfruits

On the day of Firstfruits, believers will bring the firstfruits of any financial increase received since the Feast of Tabernacles (October 2023).  The firstfruit offering, called the early firstfruit, is not your tithe or regular offering.  It is separate and in addition to your tithe.  You determine the amount of this special offering, symbolizing your thanksgiving to God for providing the “early” spring harvest.  You may bring your offering to The KBC, use the mobile app, Connection Center Kiosk, give online or by mail.

II. Counting the Omer

The daily “counting of the omer” will begin on the evening of April 23.  (See: https://www.chabad.org/holidays/sefirah/omer-calendar_cdo/jewish/Omer-Calendar.htm).

• See the Omer Calendar in the April Prayer guide.
• After marking off the day, pray the following blessing with your children until the 50th day, “We praise You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Jesus Christ, our eternal Redeemer and Savior, and commanded us to count the Omer. By faith, we wait with joyful hearts to celebrate the sending of Your Holy Spirit.”
• Remember to count the omer beginning at sundown, April 23.